Table 3.
Evidence of unconventional T cells in neurodegeneration.
| Neurological Diseases (Model or Sample) |
Study tools | Cell subsets | Effects on NDDs | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD | 5XFAD mice | MR1-deficient mice (IF) | MAIT cell | MR1-deficient 5XFAD mice exhibit a reduced plaque burden than WT mice. | 169 |
| 3xTg-AD mice | IL-17 blockage (flow cytometry) | γδ T cell | IL-17-producing γδ T cells were observed to increase in the brain and the meninges of female, but not male mice, by using the 3xTg-AD mice model; Blocking IL-17 prevents short-term cognitive deficits at early stages of the disease by improving synaptic dysfunction. | 170 | |
| ALS | ALS patients’ blood | flow cytometry | NKT cell | NKT cell (CD3+CD16+CD56+) number was significantly increased. | 171 |
| mSOD1 mice model | α-Galcer injection (flow cytometry) | type I NKT cell | NKT cell number (NK1.1 Cd1d-tetramer) increases dramatically in ALS mice; Immunomodulation of NKT cells using α-GalCer prolongs the life span of SOD1 mice. | 172 | |
| PD | PD patient’s blood | flow cytometry | γδ T cell | γδ T cell number was increased in the blood and CSF of the blood of PD patients compared with patients with other neurological diseases. | 173 |
| PD patient’s blood | flow cytometry | γδ T cell | γδ T cell number was reduced in patients with Parkinson’s disease compared with age-matched health controls. | 174, 175 | |
| PD patient’s blood | flow cytometry | iNKT cell | The frequency and absolute number of iNKT cells are reduced in the blood of PD patients compared with healthy controls. | 170 | |
AD, Alzheimer’s Disease; PD, Parkins’s Disease; NDDs, Neurodegenerative diseases.